Global Ship Lease agrees to $1B loan facility
GSL intends to draw the facility in tranches corresponding to delivery of 15 newbuildings scheduled from late 2028 through 2030.
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Form Type
6-K
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Global Ship Lease, Inc. agreed to a $1 billion syndicated loan facility with a seven-year duration and an interest rate of SOFR + 1.5%. The facility was oversubscribed. Chief Financial Officer Tassos Psaropoulos said the margin was 550 basis points below what was available to the company five years earlier.
Each of the 15 newbuildings is contracted to begin time-charter employment promptly upon delivery. Separately, in October 2026, GSL exercised options for construction of two additional containerships.
As of June 30, 2026, the average remaining charter term to the mid-point of redelivery was 3.3 years on a TEU-weighted basis, including company-controlled options and the Initial Newbuilds, and excluding charters for which a redelivery notice had been received; contracted revenue on the same basis was $3.2 billion. Including charterers’ options and using latest redelivery dates, contracted revenue was $4.1 billion and the weighted average remaining term was 4.4 years.
Filing Explained
This 6-K incorporates its report into the company’s listed Form F-3 and Form S-8 registration statements, except the CFO’s commentary; it adds disclosure to those filings but does not itself announce a securities issuance.
Key Figures
Syndicated loan facility: $1 billion
Interest rate: SOFR + 1.5%
Facility duration: Seven years
+5 more
8 metrics
Syndicated loan facility
$1 billion
New facility agreed by Global Ship Lease
Interest rate
SOFR + 1.5%
Rate on the new facility
Facility duration
Seven years
New syndicated loan facility
Newbuildings
15 vessels
Scheduled deliveries span late 2028 through 2030
Average remaining charter term
3.3 years
As of June 30, 2026; TEU-weighted basis, to mid-point of redelivery
Contracted revenue
$3.2 billion
As of June 30, 2026; same basis as the 3.3-year charter term
Contracted revenue
$4.1 billion
Including charterers’ options and using latest redelivery dates
Weighted average remaining charter term
4.4 years
Including charterers’ options and using latest redelivery dates
Key Terms
syndicated loan facility, SOFR, time charter, TEU-weighted basis, +1 more
5 terms
syndicated loan facility financial
"agreed a $1 billion syndicated loan facility"
A syndicated loan facility is a single large loan arranged and administered by one or more lead lenders but funded by a group of banks or institutional lenders, each taking a share of the credit under one common agreement. It matters to investors because it supplies significant, often long-term funding for a borrower, affecting that company’s cash flow, credit risk profile and overall capital structure—like several lenders pooling to finance a big mortgage.
SOFR financial
"interest rate of SOFR + 1.5%"
The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) is a market benchmark that measures the cost of borrowing cash overnight using U.S. Treasury securities as collateral. Investors watch SOFR because it acts like a speedometer for short-term interest costs—affecting loan rates, bond yields and the pricing of interest-rate contracts—so movements change borrowing expenses, cash returns and the value of interest-sensitive investments.
time charter technical
"commence time charter employment promptly upon delivery"
A time charter is an agreement where a ship owner rents out their vessel to a customer for a set period, during which the customer has control over the ship’s use and operation. This arrangement matters to investors because it provides a steady income stream for the ship owner and indicates ongoing demand for shipping services, reflecting the health of global trade and transportation markets.
TEU-weighted basis technical
"3.3 years on a TEU-weighted basis"
mid-point of redelivery technical
"to the mid-point of redelivery"
FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
What are the terms of GSL’s new loan facility?
Global Ship Lease agreed to a $1 billion facility bearing interest at SOFR + 1.5%, with a seven-year duration.
Which banks are in GSL’s loan syndicate?
Bank of America is the bookrunner, mandated lead arranger, facility agent and security agent. Bank of China (Hong Kong), KfW IPEX and ABN-AMRO are mandated lead arrangers; CTBC and CaixaBank are lead arrangers; and BOCOM (HK) and First Citizens Bank are arrangers.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of October 2026
Commission File Number: 001-34153
GLOBAL SHIP LEASE, INC.
(Translation of registrant’s name into English)
c/o GSL Enterprises Ltd.
9 Irodou Attikou Street
Kifisia, Athens
Greece, 14561
(Address of principal executive office)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form 20-F ☒ Form 40-F ☐
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT ON FORM 6-K
Attached to this Report on Form 6-K (this “Report”) as Exhibit 99.1 is a copy of the press release of Global Ship Lease, Inc. (the “Company”), dated October 12, 2026, announcing that it has entered into a new $1 billion syndicated loan facility.
The information contained in this Report, except for the commentary of Tassos Psaropoulos contained in Exhibit 99.1, is hereby incorporated by reference into the Company’s registration statements on Form F-3 (File Nos. 333-231509 and 333-290461) and on Form S-8 (File Nos. 333-258992, 333-264113 and 333-294357).
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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GLOBAL SHIP LEASE, INC.
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(Registrant)
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Dated: October 13, 2026
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By:
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/s/ Thomas Lister
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Thomas Lister
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Chief Executive Officer
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Exhibit 99.1
Investor and Media Contact:
IGB Group
Bryan Degnan
646-673-9701
or
Leon Berman
212-477-8438
Global Ship Lease Announces Syndicated Loan Facility
- Continues to achieve favorable debt financing at materially lower cost of debt with new $1 billion facility at highly attractive 1.5% margin over SOFR
- Oversubscribed 8-bank facility demonstrates strong appetite for GSL debt from a globally diversified group of top-tier lenders
ATHENS, Greece, Oct. 12, 2026 – Global Ship Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GSL) (the “Company”, Global Ship Lease” or “GSL”), a containership owner and lessor, announced today that it has agreed a $1 billion syndicated loan facility (the “New Facility”) bearing an interest rate of SOFR + 1.5% and a duration of seven years. The Company intends to draw on this facility in tranches corresponding to the delivery of each of the 15 newbuildings announced in June of this year (the “Initial Newbuilds”), the scheduled dates for which span from late 2028 through 2030. Each of these vessels is contracted to commence time charter employment promptly upon delivery.
The 8-member syndicate is comprised of Bank of America as Bookrunner, Mandated Lead Arranger, Facility Agent and Security Agent, with Bank of China (Hong Kong), KfW IPEX, and ABN-AMRO as Mandated Lead Arrangers. CTBC and CaixaBank served as Lead Arrangers, with BOCOM (HK) and First Citizens Bank as Arrangers.
Tassos Psaropoulos, Chief Financial Officer of Global Ship Lease, commented: “We are pleased to announce this syndicated loan agreement that further de-risks our newbuilding program and provides us highly attractive financing terms with a diversified, world-class group of lenders that we have assembled. The oversubscribed facility involves top-tier banks spanning three continents, demonstrating the widespread recognition of GSL’s balance sheet strength, which is underpinned by prudent leverage, and robust, multi-year charter coverage. Being able to access this facility in tranches directly corresponding to the delivery of the vessels and the commencement of their multi-year charters is an ideal fit from both a risk and a cashflow perspective, providing comfort and certainty.
We have worked hard over the last few years to successfully transform our balance sheet and improve our access to increasingly competitively priced capital. Our new collaboration with a group of world-class lenders to establish the $1 billion loan facility at a margin 550bps below what was available to us just five years ago is evidence that our efforts have borne fruit. This is another important step forward in an area that is central to our ability to outperform in a highly competitive market, and we are pleased to continue delivering value to our shareholders.”
About Global Ship Lease
Global Ship Lease is a leading independent owner of containerships with a diversified fleet of mid-sized and smaller containerships. Incorporated in the Marshall Islands, Global Ship Lease commenced operations in December 2007 with a business of owning and chartering out containerships under fixed-rate charters to top tier container liner companies. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in August 2008.
Our operating fleet of 71 containerships as of June 30, 2026, had an average age weighted by TEU capacity of 18.4 years. 41 ships are wide-beam Post-Panamax. As of June 30, 2026, our fleet also included the Initial Newbuilds, with scheduled deliveries between the fourth quarter of 2028 and the first quarter of 2030. In October 2026, we exercised options for the construction of two additional mid-size, ultra-high-reefer, wide-beam, latest-generation containerships.
As of June 30, 2026, the average remaining term of the Company’s charters, to the mid-point of redelivery, including options under the Company’s control and other than if a redelivery notice has been received, including the Initial Newbuilds, was 3.3 years on a TEU-weighted basis. Contracted revenue on the same basis was $3.2 billion. Contracted revenue was $4.1 billion, including options under charterers’ control and with latest redelivery date, representing a weighted average remaining term of 4.4 years.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements provide the Company’s current expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking statements include statements about the Company’s expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. Words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “will” or similar words or phrases, or the negatives of those words or phrases, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that may be incorrect, and the Company cannot assure you that the events or expectations included in these forward-looking statements will come to pass. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including the factors described in “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F and the factors and risks the Company describes in subsequent reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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